VERIZON BYRON NELSON CLASSIC

May 12, 2001

Scott Verplank

SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, you know, I mean obviously I'm very pleased to be leading, or tied for the lead. Obviously it would be kind of -- it would be really something special and cool if I could happen to win this golf tournament. The only thing I didn't do today really is I wasn't really sharp and I didn't give myself a lot of really great chances to make birdies, and if I would have, I probably could have put some distance between myself and everybody else, so it'll be a lot more exciting this way.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Man, if I do it, you can ask me that tomorrow. I think it would be great. Yeah, no. Shoot, man. That's great. I'd like to be in here every day.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, let's see. Well, the Western Open and the Buick Open. Yeah, I was leading at the Western Open. I led every day. The Buick Open I'd led after the first round and second round and then was tied for the lead going to the last round.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Yeah. It's a positive that I'm still tied for the lead because I definitely didn't play my best, so that leaves me with some room for improvement. If I play good tomorrow, then maybe I can pull it off.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I saw Justin's name on the first tee. I hadn't even teed off yet and he posted a little 61, so that's good. I mean I'm happy for him.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, yeah. When you see that, you know that obviously scores can be shot. Now, obviously just judging by the look at the scores, it must have been a little easier this morning. I guess the greens probably got a little rougher and the wind actually blew a little bit. It actually picked up a few times when it was pretty decent. I don't know if it blew this morning or not. When I woke up, it wasn't blowing, so obviously it was a great deal to get done before noon. But that's the way it is every week. In a tournament like this where it's bunched up and nobody's kind of pulled away, then you can go out and do what Justin did and get right there in the middle of it.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, no, because there's nothing I could do about it. I mean I wasn't trying to be stuck in neutral. I just wasn't getting the ball close enough to the hole. I mean I was aiming at the flag, believe me. There were very few flags that I wasn't trying to go at, to be honest with you; and I hit three or four iron shots that I thought were perfect, and basically most of them went too far. The sixth hole is a great example. I got 164 yards or something with a little bit of wind blowing down; not a lot, just a little. I said, well, that's just a regular 8-iron, and if I just hit a good 8-iron, it probably won't go past the hole. It oughta be perfect. Well, it flew past the hole and ended up going back of the green, 30-footer. So that was as good a shot as I could hit, and I chipped it pretty close on seven. I don't know. I just I had a lot of chances. I had some short irons I didn't hit as close, but I hit some nice shots that didn't end up nearly as good as I thought they were going to. So it's kind of -- it all evens out, and if I get to striking it the way I want to tomorrow, then I'll have plenty of opportunity.

SCOTT VERPLANK: No. I mean just depends on what your mindset is. My mindset is to do what I do best, keep hitting it in the fairway, keep getting an iron in my hand off the good lie, and if I get in the groove, then I'm going to get it close to the hole and I'll make some birdies.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I think so.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I think so. Yeah. All I know is I'm just going to go out and play tomorrow. Like I said, if I play like I'm capable, then whatever happens, happens. I think everything will be all right if I play like I'm capable.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I hope not. I would just as soon put your head down and go make as many birdies as you can starting out and then you might come up for air sometime and see how it stands. It just depends. I don't know how many guys there are. If there's 30 guys within five shots of the lead, you know that somebody's going to go out and shoot pretty low. So you don't know what that number is and you don't know how they're going to finish. So like I said, all I can do is go out and do the best I can, do what I do, and if I make some putts, then I'll probably be just fine.

SCOTT VERPLANK: If that helps me, yes. I don't know. I don't know if that is part of the deal, nobody from -- Bruce Lietzke's won here.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Oh, yeah. Then yeah, I do. Strongly.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Just out here. My mom and dad are out here and my brother and his wife, and aunts and uncles and stuff like that, but to be honest with you, I've had too much stuff going on out here to be able to go do a whole lot of anything else.

SCOTT VERPLANK: That just depends on how I play. I mean, yeah, it would be an advantage if I'm playing good and I got one hole left and I need to make a birdie to win or par to win, then, yeah, I'd rather be there than sitting up next to Mr. Nelson. But yeah. It just depends on how it goes. That's way too far off to know anything about.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Yeah. I had about a 6-footer on seven that I missed. I had it about 12 feet on the first hole, you know, 15 feet on the second hole. Seventh hole I made a nice shot.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Yeah. And then like 14 I hit it about eight feet and missed it. Yeah. So I just -- you know, I wasn't just hitting it right next to the hole, but I don't know if I -- I guess I missed a couple greens.